Question: What is the latest on your son, Kameron, (from San Marcos, Calif.) and the recruiting he’s been getting for basketball?

Answer: He committed to Cal. He’s going to be a Bear. He committed on New Year’s Day. He kicked the new year off with a decision to join Coach (Mike) Montgomery up there?

Q: How do you, as an Arizona Wildcat, feel about him going to a conference foe? Wasn’t Arizona State one of his finalists?

A: I’ve got the upmost respect for (ASU coach) Herb Sendek. Everybody asks me if I wanted him to go to UofA. I’m biased after the UofA. It’s my alma mater. I tell people very simply: I’m loyal to Arizona but my heart bleeds Team Kameron all day. Wherever he goes, that’s where I’ll follow. I’m always going to be a Wildcat. His future is as a Bear.

Q: Will you wear Cal gear?

A: Of course. Represent, represent … with my UofA shirt underneath. There’s no greater job than my son developing and coming back and kicking UofA’s and everyone else’s butt in the Pac-12. I’m excited for him. We’re all blessed. To be honest, I’m loving fatherhood more than sports. You can’t go wrong with a Cal-Berkeley degree.

Q: What is Kameron like as a player?

A: He’s a big boy. He has soft hands and a nice shooting touch. He has a good IQ for the game. Like most bigs — he’s 7-1 and 17 (years old) — he’s still growing into his body. He’s my Spruce Goose. We’ve still got to get him off the ground but he’s still developing. He’s a late bloomer. He’s a great kid and a good student. He has the willingness to learn so his better days are ahead of him.

Q: Is he your only child?

A: No, I have a daughter, Kayla. She’s the real one. She’s an eighth-grader. She’s a baller. She already got her first college letter. I didn’t even know that was possible. My son plays. She’s a baller. She’s skilled and loves it. She eats and sleeps basketball. Inside, she’s tough. She’s about 5-10, 5-11. Inside game, outside game. Kind of thick. She’s like (former UCLA star) Natalie Williams. She’s a big, strong, skilled person who sees the floor. She’s my little baller.

Q: Did they find the sport on their own or was it by osmosis from when you were playing?

A: My son, like most generations, inherited it and was big so it was like, “What else can I do?” My daughter, being around myself, her brother and some cousins, was always the little girl who had to survive. That’s why her passing skills are superior because imagine her trying to throw over her brother and her taller cousins and her dad. She’s been around it the whole time so she loves it.

Q: How have you been treated in Phoenix as a Wildcat?

A: You would think it’s Sun Devil Country but we have a lot of Wildcats here. When I was thinking about sending my son to ASU, that’s when I found out just how many Arizona fans there are out here. “Don’t send him to ASU.” I just thought the campus at ASU was beautiful and that it was an excellent opportunity. Arizona wanted to put my son on a three-, four-year waiting list. Who goes to college to sit on the bench for three, four years?

Q: Since you retired from playing, what other interests have you developed?

A: I like giving back to the game. I like being around kids. Not to give the Miss America speech, but the more you see society go on, the more need you see to be a mentor to these young kids and I really enjoy it. I officiate on my off-time. People always say, “Why do you officiate?” First off, I love it. Secondly, we actually need somebody who cares ... and aren’t just collecting a few dollars. I ref youth sports and was moving up to see how far I could go.

Q: Were you thinking about an officiating career?

A: Definitely. A lot of people say there aren’t enough former players. I had interest from a lot of league officials about me getting into the process. I never did it. It’s a long process. I don’t know how my body could hold up. I learned a lot on that side.

Q: Do you bite your tongue more with officials now?

A: Yes, because most people don’t know the rules and most people don’t know the mind of an official. Now I know. I don’t know everything but I have a better insight. It’s a tough job. It’s like being a parking attendant. Everybody hates you.

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